HELP - Clunking and Popping Noise - Difficult to Solve

Hi all,

I read several posts and am currently baffled. I've had 4 shops look at this now with wrong or unsure diagnosis. I'm curious to see if anyone has any experienced suggestions. Last mechanic says he'll need a few days to figure this out. I would take it to a dealership but I know they're going to blame my lift and heavy camper. I need my truck fixed by Friday for a project I'm working on and am running out of time.

Symptoms:

• When turning side to side or doing figure 8s I hear a whole lot of clunking and popping. I can feel it through the floor board.
• Does not happen when rocking the car back and forth when stationary. Does not happen when steering side to side stationary. Only happens when driving.
• Happens sometimes when i'm going over uneven terrain usually need cross axle type movement like going up steep driveways at an angle.
• It feels like it's coming from the front

My truck setup:

• 2011 Tacoma TRD OR 4x4 Access Cab
• 2" lift - Icon non-resi 2.5 fronts (recently rebuilt) and 2.0 non-resi rears on OME HD Leafs and Ride Rite airbags
• I carry a heavy cabover camper

When did this start happening:

• I've had this setup for some time and recently took it on a multi-month trip. This issue showed up on the the last 3 weeks of the trip.

What have mechanics diagnosed?

• I've taken it to 4 mechanics now for a diagnosis
• 3 mechanics checked the usual suspects like ball joints, control arm bushings, bearings and other front end things like swaybar. All 3 suspected it had something to do with the steering or the rack. This led me to buy a new steering rack with new tie rods and spend a whole day installing it myself. Still noise!
• Last mechanic I went to said it's hard to pinpoint but he and his tech definitely think it's coming from the rear and that's why the other mechanics were led astray

What have I done so far?

• I thought maybe the shocks as one shock had blown on the trip. Got that rebuilt.
• New steering rack and tie rods
• Just got an alignment after new rack install
• I took the swaybar off to see if it's the swaybar
• Intermediate steering shaft has slight play but I'm finding it difficult to believe thats the cause of this issue.

Potential items from my research here and that I plan to look into next (give me your experienced opinion on what you think about these)

• Leaf pack binding up - Remove, grease and retorque
• Rear diff - but I would think this would have different symptoms connected to speed
• Frame crack from the weight. I've looked around but have't seen anything. I'd figure with the noise I'm hearing, it would be more evident and not difficult to find.
• Body mounts? Bed Mounts? Motor mounts?!
• CV joints? No rips in boots, no clicking

Any recommended shops/mechanic in the North OC area that are Tacoma specialists well AND can take me in on Monday? I found one but they usually need 2 weeks lead time which I don't have.

 

How hard do you have to turn before you hear it? It's both left and right? I would suspect a CV joint right off the bat.

Edit: ehhhhhh if it's doing it left and right... the odds of 2 CVs going out at the same time is pretty slim. If it's not that, and it does it left and right... I'd call the diff. Spider gears could be toast. That's just my guess.

 

Subbed.

randomly started getting clunk also.

icon 2.5 front, 2.0 rear, OME Medium duty.

 

Try the radiator support mounts... I had a clunk in the front end that went away when I replaced those with some polyurethane ones

Also replace the the front bushings on the OME’s

 

If I got your truck I'd focus on rechecking all suspension.

But my interest would be in the lower control arm bushings and eccentrics moving.

 

I doubt this is your issue, but for what its worth greasing the leaf packs can easily be done without taking anything apart. Chock front tires and jack truck up from the receiver hitch until everything is drooped out. Then just jam a pry bar or cold chisel between each leaf to spread them apart. Use a flat head screw driver (not your fingers..) to slather some grease in between, pop the chisel out, and move up the next leaf.

 

Moar ugga duggs is what Im hearing..

 

It's very possible that what's making the noise is seized lower control arm bushings. Go get an alignment and tell the tech you need them to remove the mounting hardware and slather it with antiseize. My money says the noise will stop. Either that or the tech will tell you the hardware is completely seized and it's going to be a rather involved fix.

I've been through the fix. Now I get an alignment every couple of years and have them generously antiseize the hardware.

 

Thanks all for the comments. Unfortunately, I had to start my trip even with the clunk. I ended up retorquing my rear suspension bolts. I found that a few were not up to torque spec. Hopefully this will solve it. *crossing fingers* I'll report back in a few days to let you know. That would be amazing if this was the issue that all the mechanics missed.

In terms of control arm / bushings, those have been checked by 3 different mechanics and said it's not the issue. I also got an alignment done and no mention of this from the alignment shop.

 

I have a seemingly stupid suggestion, but check your body mounts.

I had a similar maddening clunk about a year ago and could not for the life of me figure the shit out. Usually only on bumps at slower speeds (like pulling into a driveway with a steep curb). I gave up and then weeks later accidentally found it to be the front passenger side body mount. The nut underneath had backed off significantly but the bolt had just enough gunk on it to keep the nut held on there. I could push the bolt up and down with about a 1/2" of play. Looked up the torque spec, tightened it, and the clunk disappeared.

Fast forward and now I've got new different clunks, but that's one I DID figure out.

 

Is this what you're talking about, and the bolt is accessed from underneath the truck? Gonna try the same on mine

 

YES! Exactly

I was changing my oil...stupidly, impatiently...with the engine still hot. Dropped the drain plug, oil all warm and runny as hell, splashed all over the place, all over me, my face and head specifically. I recoiled and squirmed, obviously, bashing my head. Did the whole Peter Griffin "AHHH...hhssss...AHHHHHH...hhssss...AHHH" thing. Came to my senses, grabbed the box of towels I thankfully set within arms reach and wiped myself down. Still laying under the truck, contemplating my mistakes in life, I finally open my eyes, look up right in front of my face and notice that nut and washer look to be threaded too far down toward the end of the bolt. Go to jiggle it...sure enough. Loose as hell. That's the godforsaken noise I couldn't find.

Thank god I'm an idiot who sucks at things as basic as an oil change, otherwise I never would've found it

 

Kind of an older thread, but I'm leaning this way. There was an issue with undertorqued cam bolts causing a clunk and more ugga duggas solved that one. It was a band-aid fix and the clunks returned turns out the cam hardware- (sleeves/ bushing/ nuts had developed enough surface rust to seize up. They were salvageable, but not happy. Rust belt states see seized LCA hardware that needs to be cut off and cant be reused.

 

Did the re-torquing solve your issue? If it's hard to pinpoint while having someone observe from the outside, you may want to consider finding someone with the chassis ear. Basically, you connect it to different areas on the truck and see if you're getting closer to the sound.

I had a popping issue not too long ago in my 14' Tacoma. Long story short, it was my body mount. I never would've thought that being only a few years old. Replaced the drivers side and sound went away. I diagnosed it with the chassis ear my mechanic had. He said he had it for years and I was the first person he used it on, haha. It worked.

 

Yes, body mounts

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/body-mount-bushing-install-now-with-pictures.432885/

 

I just spent about 40 minutes polishing new hardware in an attempt to keep those bolt slipping on each other (and a bit of anti-seize). 'Hope you are doing well!

 

I guess we might never know what the OP suffered from.

 

I hear a slight clunk/thunk in the front suspension reversing out of garage to driveway that drops. I’m wondering if the OEM springs make the sound on the 5100s. My guess...

 

I'm having the same issue with mine.
There's a loud pop coming up from under the driver's side cab when turning left or right over uneven terrain. I can feel it too.
Started right after the frame swap and it sounds like it's coming from the frame. Everything looks normal..can't figure it out.
Guess I'll just have to wait and see what breaks

 

I feel you man, had a mysterious clunk in the floor board. After I replaced u joints and carrier bearing noise stopped. Also you can check the top of your struts. The stud holes become oblong shape over time causing the strut to move.